Drainage system



(No Model.)

P. SCANLON.

DRAINAGE SYSTEM.

Hllllllllml l/nesses 1;? Ven @rf UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK SCANLON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRAINAGE SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.520,146, dated May 2,2,1894.

Application filed March 27,1 8 9 3.

To LU whom t may concerne Be it known that I, PATRICK SoANLoN, a citizenof the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDrainage Systems, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to interpose between the mainsewer and the catch basin, or house drain-pipe, a trap of suchconstruction that it will eiectually prevent the escape of gas from thesewer. l

To this end the invention consists in features of novelty that areparticularly pointed out in the claims hereinafter, and in order thatsaid invention may be fully understood I will describe it with referenceto the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof, and inwhich- Figure l is a sectional elevation ot a system embodying theinvention in the form that is preferred for street service. Fig. 2 is asectional elevation of a portion of the catch basin modified to meet therequirements of dwellings and other buildings.

A represents the catch basin having an open top B located near the curb,or at any desired part ofthe street or roadway. As ordinarilyconstructed the water is carried directly from the catch basin to thesewer C, by means of a pipe communicating with the catch basin somedistance above its bottom. Instead of this arrangement I interposebetween the catch basin and the sewer a gas trap of the construction nowto be described.

D is a closed tank or receptacle, and E is a short section of pipe whichplaces the upper portion of this tank or receptacle in communicationwith the catch basin, so that when water rises up into this catch basinto the level of this pipe it will flow into the tank. The tank end ofthe pipe E is provided with an automatically operating valve of suchconstruction that it permits the free passage of air or water from thecatch basin into the tank, but prevents passage in the oppositedirection. It is not material, so far as the present invention isconcerned, what form of valve is used for this purpose. I prefer a valveof some simple form, and in the drawings have shown a clap valve F.

Serial No. 467,810. (No model.)

G is a pipe communicating at one end with the bottom of the tank D, andat the other with the sewer. Through this pipe the contents of the tankare discharged, and in order to at all times maintain the water in thetank D at a sufficient height to eftectually seal it, the pipe G isprovided with an uptake G extending upward above the bottom of the tankfar enough to retain the desired quantity of water. It will be seen thatas the water rises up in the tank it also rises up in the 11p-take G',and as soon as it finds the level shown in the drawings it will flowover the highest point g of the pipe, and thence into the sewer.Ordinarily the leg G2 of the pipe G will be longer than the leg G'. Ifso, and the volume of water owing through the pipe be sufficient toexpel the air from the leg G2, a siphonic action will commence, andunless the siphoning is in some way interrupted, the entire contents ofthe tank will be discharged. In order to prevent this, the end of thepipe that communicates with the tank is provided with a valve H and thisvalve is connected by means of a rod I, or other suitable device, with afloat J. So long as the water in the tank remains at the normal level,as shown in the drawings, the fioat .I will hold the valve open, butshould siphoning begin, and the level of the water be thereby lowered,the valve H will close the end of the pipe, and thus prevent any furtherdischarge. Unless some means be provided to prevent it, when the valveis once seated,the suction produced by the column of water in thedischarge pipe will hold it seated with such force that a float ofconsiderable buoyancy will be required in order to unseat it. In order,therefore, to relieve the suction of this column of water I employ apipe K, communicating at one end with the air, and atV the other withthe discharge pipe. Vith this arrangement, as soon as the valve isseated, the suction within the discharge pipe draws all the water out ofpipe K, and draws in a quantity of air. This checks the siphoning andpermits the Water to regain its equilibrium in the pipes and tank,thereby eqnalizing the pressure upon opposite sides of the valve.

The arrangement shown in Fig. l diiers from that shown in Fig. 2 in thatin the for- IDO complishing this result are shown.

mer the water nds its way into the catch basin through the open gratingB, while in the latterit finds its Wayinto the catch basin through apipe B', and also in that the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 is providedwith means for preventing grease from entering the tank D, while in Fig.l no means for ac- This grease trap consists simply of a shield L ofU-shaped cross-section, secured to the wall of the tank so as to coverthe inletto the tank and project some distance below it. .Vith thisarrangement any matter of less specific gravity than water that oncecomes to the surface of the water in the catch basin cannot reach theinlet. The grease will therefore accumulate on the surface of the Waterin the catch basin, and may be removed from time to time.

M is a hand hole giving access to the tank.

It is the intention to make the tank D of such capacity that it willhold enough water to seal the pipe G, even during a protracted dryseason. To this end it is important to prevent evaporation as much aspossible, and it is for this reason, as well as to prevent back-Waterfrom flowing into the catch basin, that the inlet of the tank isprovided with an outward seating valve. As shown in the drawings, thetank is built into the wall of the catch basin, and while this is thepreferred method of supporting it, still, it is not essential that thisconstruction be followed.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination with a tank, ot a 5iphonic discharge pipecommunicating therewith and having its bend or highest point at a levelbelow the level of the top ot the tank, so that the water may rise up inthe tank and discharge-pipe to such a height that it Hows from the shortto the long leg of said pipe, whereby, when the iiow is suiticient,Siphoning is automatically started, and a valve for closing the inletend of said pipe when the water reaches a given level, the pipe beingprovided with a vent for permitting the Water within it to regain itsequilibrium after the inlet end of the pipe is closed, substantially asset forth. 2. The combination with a tank and a sxphonic discharge pipecommunicating therewith and having its bend or highest point at a levelbelow the level of the top of the tank, so that the watermay rise up inthe tank and discharge-pipe to such a height that 1t flows from theshort to the long leg of said pipe, whereby, when the flow is suiicient,slphoning is automatically started, of a valve adapted to close theinlet end of said pipe, a ioat located within the tank and suitablyconnected with the valve, and an air vent for permitting air to enterthe discharge pipe after the valve is seated, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination `with a tank, and a s1- phonic discharge pipecommunicating therewith and having its bend or highest point at a levelbelow the level of the top of the tank, so that the Water may rise up inthe tank and discharge-pipe to such a height that it flows from theshort to the long leg of said pipe, whereby, when the flow issufficient, Siphoning is automatically started, of a valve for closingthe inlet end of the pipe when the water reaches a given level, and avent pipe communicating with the discharge pipe and extending upwardWithin the tank, terminating above the level of the water, substantiallyas set forth.

4. The combination with thc catch basin J and the auxiliary tank D, incommunication with each other, of the valve F seating outward from thetank D and adapted to close the opening through which the catch basinand tank communicate, a siphonic discharge pipe communicating` with thetank, the valve H adapted to close the inlet end of said pipe, the tloatJ located Within the tank and snitably connected with the valve, and aventin the discharge pipe for permitting the water to regain itsequilibrium after the valve is seated, substantially as set forth.

PATRICK SCANLON. Vitnesses:

L. M. HOPKINS, J. HALPENNY.

